Ch.14: Europe and the World: New Encounters (1500-1800) Big Ideas: Students should understand...
1. Mercantilism came to dominate economic practices in the 17th century. In a mercantilist system, it was believed that the total volume of trade was unchangable. In this economic system, a country was able to expand its trade horizons (and its wealth) only at the hands of other countries. Prosperity of a country depended on the amount of gold and silver that it had in its possession. Mercantilists believed that this system was war on peaceful terms. Mercantilism called for a balance of trade in which exports were of more value than imports. To protect exports, trade monopolies made it possible for investments such as improving infrastructure. Colonies in the "New World" were thought of as a great source of raw materials to bring in that could be made into finished goods and exported around the world. In a mercantilist economic system, government intervention was a good thing due to the regulations that would ensure such things as trade companies.
2. Due to the explorations by such conquistadors as Cortes and Pizarro, the native peoples of South America became very sick with the germs brought from Europe. The worst and most devastating sicknesses being smallpox. Whole cities could be destroyed by smallpox, and if not smallpox, other technologies such as the weaponry would kill the natives. The sword and bow and arrow of the indigenous were no match for the gun and the sword of the Europeans. Cortes destroyed the Aztec Empire and Pizarro destroyed the Incan Empire. In Africa, coastal areas were being taken by European explorers and the natives were being captured to use as slaves. Europeans did start to get greedy and settle places they were not prepared for. In regions where the climates were not similar to those that they were familar with, the Europeans became very sick and their cattle and crops would die.
3. When Prince Henry began the school for navigators in Portugal, the country soon became the leader in exploration. They began to sail to Africa for materials such as gold, ivory, and even slaves. When explorers heard of a route to India, they began their search for spices throughout the East Indies. Although Portuguese explorers gained materials by force and destroyed the shipping of many regions, they were not as forceful as the Spanish. Hernan Cortes sailed to South America and brutally destroyed a strong Aztec civilization. He and his soldiers destroyed pyramids and temples to use the stones to build a Spanish goverment. Also in South America, Francisco Pizarro destroyed the Incan empire by using technology such as the gun and the cannon. In these new Spanish colonies a system of encomienda was set up that allowed the conquering Spanish to collect tributes from the indigenous peoples and use them as laborers.
4. The portolani was a detailed chart that proved to be of great value to explorers due to the details on coastal contours, the distances between ports, and compass readings. This only helped to an extent thought because they did not show the curvature of the earth. Europeans also developed new ships that mastered the use of the axial rudder and these ships could now sail against the wind and partake in naval warfare. These new ships could also carry heavy cannons and large amounts of goods over long distances. New navigational instruments such as the astrolabe and the compass along with efficient maps enables these explorers to navigate the high seas without worry of a uselus quadrant when sailing below the equator. The knowledge of knowing wind patterns in the Atlantic Ocean also helped explorers get to new places. These new technologies paved the way in helping Europeans explore the new world for raw materials. These technologies can also be credited with enabling the explorers.
Essential Questions:
1. What was Mercantilism? How was it used in the colonization of the "New World" by European countries?
2. What effects did European colonization have on the indigenous peoples? How about on the Europeans?
3. How did the rise of Spanish and Portuguese exploration impact the "New World"?
4. How did new technology effect the Age of Exploration?
This document was written in 1614. It is a contract that discusses the trading of Africans for work in the West Indies. In this contract, such things as the longevity of the contract, the number of slaves to be shipped and at what cost they are to be shipped for (twenty per cent), who the captain of the slave ship should be, and the route that the boat should take. Many of these contracts were circulated during the Age of Exploration. As colonies were being set up around the world, slave trade became a very common practice. Slaves were used as workers in the fields and as servants in the home.
Visual Source:
This visual source, like the written source, deals with the trading of African slaves. This painting depicts slaves working at a pepper plantation in the East Indies. Visuals like this one were not uncommon around the world. Slaves were used for harvesting many crops such as peppercorn, tabacco, sugarcane, and cotton. Although this painting was made around the 15th century, slavery was a common practice around the world and especially in America for three more centuries.
Map:
This map depicts Spainish and Portuguese claims around the world from 1400 through 1600. As seen, the Spanish were in control of large areas in the west and the Portuguese had claims both in the west but also the east. Because of the raw materials that both countries were able to collect from these areas, they became very wealthy and owe much of their success to the wealth they gained from the colonies.
Big Ideas:
Students should understand...
1. Mercantilism came to dominate economic practices in the 17th century. In a mercantilist system, it was believed that the total volume of trade was unchangable. In this economic system, a country was able to expand its trade horizons (and its wealth) only at the hands of other countries. Prosperity of a country depended on the amount of gold and silver that it had in its possession. Mercantilists believed that this system was war on peaceful terms. Mercantilism called for a balance of trade in which exports were of more value than imports. To protect exports, trade monopolies made it possible for investments such as improving infrastructure. Colonies in the "New World" were thought of as a great source of raw materials to bring in that could be made into finished goods and exported around the world. In a mercantilist economic system, government intervention was a good thing due to the regulations that would ensure such things as trade companies.
2. Due to the explorations by such conquistadors as Cortes and Pizarro, the native peoples of South America became very sick with the germs brought from Europe. The worst and most devastating sicknesses being smallpox. Whole cities could be destroyed by smallpox, and if not smallpox, other technologies such as the weaponry would kill the natives. The sword and bow and arrow of the indigenous were no match for the gun and the sword of the Europeans. Cortes destroyed the Aztec Empire and Pizarro destroyed the Incan Empire. In Africa, coastal areas were being taken by European explorers and the natives were being captured to use as slaves. Europeans did start to get greedy and settle places they were not prepared for. In regions where the climates were not similar to those that they were familar with, the Europeans became very sick and their cattle and crops would die.
3. When Prince Henry began the school for navigators in Portugal, the country soon became the leader in exploration. They began to sail to Africa for materials such as gold, ivory, and even slaves. When explorers heard of a route to India, they began their search for spices throughout the East Indies. Although Portuguese explorers gained materials by force and destroyed the shipping of many regions, they were not as forceful as the Spanish. Hernan Cortes sailed to South America and brutally destroyed a strong Aztec civilization. He and his soldiers destroyed pyramids and temples to use the stones to build a Spanish goverment. Also in South America, Francisco Pizarro destroyed the Incan empire by using technology such as the gun and the cannon. In these new Spanish colonies a system of encomienda was set up that allowed the conquering Spanish to collect tributes from the indigenous peoples and use them as laborers.
4. The portolani was a detailed chart that proved to be of great value to explorers due to the details on coastal contours, the distances between ports, and compass readings. This only helped to an extent thought because they did not show the curvature of the earth. Europeans also developed new ships that mastered the use of the axial rudder and these ships could now sail against the wind and partake in naval warfare. These new ships could also carry heavy cannons and large amounts of goods over long distances. New navigational instruments such as the astrolabe and the compass along with efficient maps enables these explorers to navigate the high seas without worry of a uselus quadrant when sailing below the equator. The knowledge of knowing wind patterns in the Atlantic Ocean also helped explorers get to new places. These new technologies paved the way in helping Europeans explore the new world for raw materials. These technologies can also be credited with enabling the explorers.
Essential Questions:
1. What was Mercantilism? How was it used in the colonization of the "New World" by European countries?
2. What effects did European colonization have on the indigenous peoples? How about on the Europeans?
3. How did the rise of Spanish and Portuguese exploration impact the "New World"?
4. How did new technology effect the Age of Exploration?
Primary Sources: historyteacher.net
Written Source:
A contract for African slaves!
Visual Source:
- This visual source, like the written source, deals with the trading of African slaves. This painting depicts slaves working at a pepper plantation in the East Indies. Visuals like this one were not uncommon around the world. Slaves were used for harvesting many crops such as peppercorn, tabacco, sugarcane, and cotton. Although this painting was made around the 15th century, slavery was a common practice around the world and especially in America for three more centuries.
Map:10 Terms to Know!
Assessment!
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